Mizzou Basketball announces challenging non-conference schedule

COLUMBIA, MO - FEBRUARY 04: Truman the Tiger pumps up the crowd before a game between the Missouri Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks the first half at Mizzou Arena on February 4, 2012 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) By Ed Zurga

A return to Sprint Center on Nov. 16 vs. Hawaii, the annual Bud Light Braggin’ Rights Game vs. Illinois in St. Louis and home games against UCLA and West Virginia highlight a challenging slate.

Mizzou also begins a home-and-home series with North Carolina State on Dec. 28 in Raleigh, N.C., and hosts games vs. postseason qualifiers Western Michigan and Long Beach State.

“We have a little bit of everything on our schedule for next season and I believe it will get our team ready for play in the SEC,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “It was really important for us to get that home schedule attractive for our fans, not only for this year, but for years to come, so the series with North Carolina State made a lot of sense.

“Games our fans will immediately recognize are the Bud Light Braggin’ Rights Game vs. Illinois and home games against UCLA and West Virginia,” Haith continued. “But Western Michigan won 20 games last year, Long Beach State has become a perennial power on the West Coast and our fans are well aware of Southern Illinois’ tradition, so this is a balanced, competitive schedule.

“Another major focus was to get back to Kansas City,” Haith added. “We have tremendous support in KC and that was very evident during my first year when we played games in the CBE and the Big 12 Tournament. Hawaii will be a good team and I think everyone expects them to challenge Long Beach State for that league’s title next season. They have three or four starters back, have some transfers becoming eligible and our fans will remember Christian Standhardinger, who was very good his first two years at Nebraska, so it will be an important game for us with so many new faces.”

Missouri owns a current five-game winning streak at Sprint Center with each of those wins coming under Haith.

The Tigers meet Hawaii for the sixth time in series history (just the second time in the state of Missouri) and the Nov. 16 tip-off comes on a bye weekend for Head Coach Gary Pinkel’s Football squad.

Ticket information for this game will be announced later this summer.

“We are certainly excited to be taking a game from Mizzou Arena and bringing it to our tremendous fan base in Kansas City,” Mizzou Director of Athletics Mike Alden said. “This is an important first step in getting our programs competing in Kansas City once again and I know Tiger Nation will be excited to come out and see their team play at Sprint Center on Nov. 16.”

Announced earlier this spring was Mizzou’s participation in the Las Vegas Invitational (Nov. 28-29). Played at the Orleans Arena over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Tigers will face Northwestern and Nevada in a “classic” format.

Complete tournament information will be announced later this summer by event organizers.

Two more home games and exhibition contests will be announced at a later date. Games on Nov. 23 and Nov. 25 are part of the 2013 Las Vegas Invitational and will be announced by tournament organizers this summer.

The opponents for those two dates will come from the following field: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI), Morehead State (Ky.) and Gardner Webb University (N.C.).

Missouri’s complete schedule, including the 2014 Southeastern Conference Schedule, will be announced later this summer.